All I Want for Christmas

By Donna Steele

Noel Archer has trust issues – who wouldn't after finding her fiancée in her bed with another woman, hours before the wedding. Too late to cancel the honeymoon, so she's on a Christmas cruise alone and avoiding anything male of the species.

Sebastian Michael Scott was supposed to be enjoying himself on a Christmas shakedown cruise of his new yacht. But between the faulty electrical system and the hostile and hung over soon to be ex, he's taken his best friend's advice and caught a ride on nearby cruise ship. Now who is that incredible woman who saw him come aboard at midnight…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steelestories
• Release date: Oct 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215775844

Donna Steele

Women strong enough for love. Donna writes science fiction, paranormal and small town romances about women coming into their strength and having the courage to find and accept love. Now that she has retired from going into an office every day, she created an office at home and writes full time. Talk about living the dream! She was the girl at the party who was yearning for the quiet corner and a book to read (go Rory Gilmore!), and has been writing in her head since she learned to read. Getting those stories down on paper (or in her laptop) has been more fun than she ever imagined it could be. The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn her and she's read them all, there just needed to be a little more romance in them. She finally got up the courage to write them herself and is delighted to be able to share these stories with you. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. She can be reached at www.steelestories.com, www.facebook.com/donnasteeleauthor, or https://twitter.com/steele_donna

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By

Donna Steele

Copyright @ 2022 Donna Steele

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web without permission in writing from the publisher.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover Artist: Leslie Ray, 2022

Chapter One

Noel Archer looked around the cabin of the cruise ship and sighed. Not exactly the way she’d planned to spend her honeymoon or this year’s Christmas. But she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to take the trip. This late, she couldn’t get a refund. Kenneth had graciously offered to take the trip himself, with his new honey along. She could still see the sneer on his face when she closed her eyes. Over her dead body, or maybe over his. It would be a long time before she opened herself to trust again. It was a nice enough cabin, ocean view. The queen size bed took up most of it and it was the best she could afford. Since the crew knew it was for a honeymoon, two swan folded towels graced the bed on a tray, necks entwined. A bottle of Prosecco and some chocolates also graced the tray. At least the Prosecco would come in handy.

Days like this she really hated her name.

The Christmas decorations were subtle here in the cabin unlike the common areas of the ship she’d seen so far and did absolutely nothing to cheer her up. She’d seen the gigantic tree outside of one of the dining areas when she’d boarded. She needed to mellow out. There was nothing she could do about anything right now. She might as well try to enjoy herself. She could afford to gain a couple of pounds now. Who would care?

There was no balcony for this cabin, but she wouldn’t be spending that much time in here. No, she would go out and be around others and force herself to have a good time.

The fact that Kenneth, never Ken, hadn’t contributed to the honeymoon should have been a red flag. He would reimburse her when he got his bonus, yada, yada. And she had believed him. He had money, look at his lifestyle. Why had she thought someone like that... Not now, she’d think about him later when she didn’t feel so betrayed or murderous. Maybe. If that ever went away.

It was a Christmas cruise. Everyone would be jolly, and she’d pretend right along with them.

Straightening her shoulders, she headed for the Lido deck for drinks as they cast off.

Sebastian Michael Scott sighed. This was definitely not the activity he’d planned for Christmas. It was supposed to be a shakedown cruise. That had sounded like a fun out of the way holiday. The manufacturer and seller of this particular mega yacht had a hell of a lot to answer for. Lemon laws better apply because right now even if they got the electrical system back up, he was completely soured on the deal.

They were stranded in the Atlantic, admittedly on a beautiful ship, but the ice